This open access book focuses on how and why digital games and gambling
are increasingly intertwined and asks "does this matter?" Looking at how
"loot boxes" became the poster child for the convergence of gambling and
gaming, Wardle traces how we got here. She argues that the intersection
between gambling and gaming cultures has a long lineage, one that can be
traced back throughout the 20th century but also incorporates
more recent trends like the poker boom of the 1990s, the development of
social media gambling products and the development of skin betting
markets.
Underpinned by changing technology, which facilitated new ways to bet,
trade and play, the intersection between gaming and gambling cultures
and products has accelerated within the last decade - and shows little
signs of stopping. Wardle explores what this means for our understanding
of risk, how gaming and gambling entities use each other for commercial
advantage, and crucially explores what young people think of this,
before making recommendations for action.